Agatha Award-winning author Mia P. Manansala takes readers back to Shady Palms, Illinois for a third mystery filled will family crisis and drama in Blackmail and Bibingka. As in Manansala’s previous mysteries, it’s also filled with Filipino foods, customs, and, most important, family.

Lila Macapagal is suspicious when her cousin Ronnie shows up after a fifteen year absence. He broke his mother’s heart when he left town suddenly. Ronnie always was in trouble, and Lila fears he’s going to break Tita Rosie’s heart again. He’s as cocky as he always was. He and his business partners are going to open a winery in town, and one of their wines will be a Filipino favorite. Even Tita Rosie is worried because she’s received a blackmail text on her phone saying Ronnie and his partners have blood on their hands. The blackmailer wants $50,000. So, Tita Rosie asks her niece, Lila, to check on Ronnie and his business.

As usual, Ronnie tries to throw his weight around, and asks the family for favors they can’t do for his investors. It’s almost Christmas, and they’re all planning for the town’s winter bash. Tita Rosie has a restaurant to run, and Lila is co-owner of Brew-ha Cafe. They can’t just close up and entertain on Ronnie’s whim. But, they do offer to take food out to the winery for Ronnie’s investors. So, Lila is there when one of the investors collapses. And, she understands why Ronnie and his partners are questioned about murder.

Despite Ronnie’s treatment of his mother, Lila can’t turn down her aunt. She’s investigated murders before. Although she’s not a fan of her cousin’s, she doesn’t want to see Tita Rosie crushed. With Detective Park recusing himself from the case because of his close connection to the entire family, Lila is going to use her baking skills, her friends, and even her dachshund to work her way into the investigation. When it comes to family, Lila has a way of finding answers.

Despite the blackmail and murder in the book, the latest in the series isn’t as dark as the previous one, Homicide and Halo Halo. In fact, there’s a lightness to the book that was lacking in both of the previous ones, even the award-winning debut, Arsenic and Adobo. Perhaps it’s due to the Christmas setting. Perhaps it’s family. But, I think Lila, and the author, are a little more comfortable in their lives right now. I’m looking forward to the fourth book in the series, a series that emphasizes friendship and family and food. This series is a treat.

Mia P. Manansala’s website is https://www.miapmanansala.com/

Blackmail and Bibingka by Mia P. Manansala. Berkley Prime Crime, 2022. ISBN 9780593201718 (paperback), 288p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley for a journal review.